25 Treats That Are Safe for Your Calves (And 3 to Avoid)

Calves are bar-none the most adorable animal you can have on any homestead. They’re energetic, friendly, playful – and they look so darn cute! It’s so funny to watch them sucking on milk, too. It makes you wonder if they’re ever going to switch to other foods – especially given how big they are.

If you’re not only thinking about weaning your calves but also want to give them a treat every now and then, this guide will help you make sense of the foods you can and cannot feed them.

Make no mistake, all treats should be fed in moderation, but some can be so toxic, they’re not even worth considering. Focus on giving them milk or milk replacer, and high quality grains and forage such as hay, oats, barley, etc., and don’t forget to give them enough water as well.

When Can I Feed My Calf These Treats?

What’s interesting about calves is that, while their rumens are essentially non/functioning at birth, they are ready to start eating solid foods after about 3 days. But this doesn’t mean they are ready to be spoiled with treats just yet. Ideally, you should wait until after they start eating dry starter feed, which is at around days 3 to 7.

You should also wait a little longer before giving them some of these foods, at least 2 to 3 three weeks. Some of these foods like carrots are perfectly fine to have earlier, while others such as sugary ones or brassicas should be delayed until their digestive systems are fully up and running.

Veggies

Veggies are some of the safest treats for calves and adult cows alike – because they tend to be lower in sugar compared to fruits. Here’s a selection of the ones you can feed them…

✅ Carrots

Yes, calves can have carrots.Start off by giving them a few small tidbits of carrot to see how they do. Remember to start small, keep the quantities tiny and see how your babies do before you give them carrots more regularly.

✅ Cabbage

Be very cautious about giving them cabbage until they’re quite a bit older, at least 3 weeks I would say. At no point should a calf have it until it’s completely weaned from milk and starts to eat a variety of other foods. Their digestive system is particularly delicate at this early stage of life, and likewise, the consequences for upsetting it are even worse than they would be for an adult.

There are other issues with cabbage and brassicas in general: bloating, nitrite poisoning, hypothyroidism, and hemolytic anemia are all documented in cattle, and baby cows are at a higher risk.

When you serve them cabbage, keep that portion size small and keep a close eye on how they do after. If they have diarrhea or seem to lose their appetite, you want to discontinue giving them cabbage for a while.

✅ Tomatoes

Yes to tomatoes, but I say so hesitantly until they are well into adolescence, at least a month after they wean. Though there’s nothing in the ripe tomato fruit that is overtly harmful to a baby calf, you should avoid feeding them unripe / green tomatoes or any other part of the plant.

Remember to start small with the fruit, go slow, and stop feeding them if there are any signs whatsoever of trouble! There are plenty of other foods that they can eat instead.

✅ Green Beans

Yes, but only with caution. Calves should be weaned off of milk and eating solid food full-time before they get to try green beans. You should also keep the quantity very small to avoid any risks whatsoever of disrupting their digestive tract.

✅ Celery

Calves can also eat celery, but you’ll want to wait until they are starting to wean off of milk and are properly eating solid food. Depending on your plans for your calves, this might be as early as 6 weeks or as late as 7 or 8 months.

In any case, the same standards apply for calves as they do for adult cows: only give them celery as a treat in small quantities periodically, and especially for calves start out with small bites only, and give them just a few.

See how they react on a basic level before you even make it a semi-regular treat for them… and if you have any doubts whatsoever, stop giving it to them.

✅ Cucumbers

Calves can start eating cucumbers as treats as early as three to four months old, as long as they have started moving away from consuming only milk and are consuming some solid foods regularly.

However, it’s important to introduce any new foods, and that includes cucumbers, gradually and in moderation.

When you give cukes to calves for the first time, I’d recommended starting with small slices and quantities, and then monitor their reaction. Assess the calf’s response and prevent any digestive upset. Remember: calves should only be getting cucumbers as a treat, not as a staple!

✅ Spinach

Yes, but not for very young calves. The main problem associated with spinach is nitrite toxicity, and cows more likely to be affected than other animals. I recommend you wait for them to mature somewhat before giving them spinach in the rotation of solid food.

✅ Cantaloupe

When calves start to diversify their diet, you can give them just a few small pieces of cantaloupe to see if they like it and see how they do.

If all goes well, increase the portion size just a little bit later in the week and back off if they get indigestion or diarrhea.

✅ Lettuce

Lettuce is just fine for calves as long as they have weaned and are eating solid food. But, do be careful: calves are especially prone to diarrhea from dietary upset, and lettuce, as hard as it is to believe, can trigger that.

Calves are so much smaller than adult cows that they’ll dehydrate much faster and so diarrhea is a far more serious problem than normal. Watch that serving size!

✅ Radishes

Yes, but cautiously. Baby cows have far more sensitive digestive systems compared to adults, and as we’ve learned today, radishes tend to cause significant diarrhea. Diarrhea can be very hard on a calf, and if they get dehydrated, they’ll be in real trouble.

As always, wait until they are totally weaned off of milk before introducing new foods like this to them, and keep the quantity very small until you’re sure they are handling it well.

✅ Zucchini

Zucchini, too, is safe for baby cows. As with everything they start eating, you want to wait until they are weaned off of milk and then only give them a tiny quantity to see how they do. Any signs of trouble, any indigestion or loss of appetite, and definitely any diarrhea, back off at once.

✅ Potatoes

Yes, they are. In fact, potatoes are one of the best treats for calves to eat as they start to wean off of milk. But as with every other new food that you give them, you want to start very slowly and observe closely to make sure they don’t get an upset stomach.

But the caveats for potatoes don’t end here. As you might expect, you should avoid giving them any green part of the plant (because they are high in glycoalkaloids). Also, you should remove any sprouts that have grown on them as well.

Lastly, potatoes can be a choking hazard for your baby cows, so chopping or mashing them is a good rule of thumb.

Adult cows can have anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds of potatoes per day once they are acclimated to them, but for calves, the threshold is obviously lower. This Canadian Govt website says you should feed them no more than 2–3 kg per 100kg (that’s between 4.46 lbs and 6.6 lbs for a calf weighing 220 lbs.)

✅ Pumpkin

Yes. Once baby cows have weaned, they can have pumpkin also with no expectation of issues as long as you are very careful with the quantity and introduce it to them slowly.

As always, the golden rule still applies: if there are any signs of gastrointestinal upset or diarrhea, back off of the pumpkin servings immediately.

✅ Broccoli

Yes, but cautiously. Calves should be eating solid food and totally weaned prior to giving them broccoli for the first time. And once you do, make sure it is only a very small amount, observing them afterward to make sure it doesn’t upset their stomach.

✅ Corn Husks

Yes, corn husks are safe for calves but keep in mind that they’re more likely to choke on the stringy silks or the larger, relatively tough husks compared to adults.

As long as your calves have started to wean off, or are completely switched over to solid food you can start feeding them this type of forage. But remember, mind that quantity and make sure it won’t interfere with their feed starter. Otherwise you’ll end up changing their nutritional balance and, it won’t be for the better!

Fruits

Calves can eat fruit, but only in smaller amounts, and – you guessed it! – only when they have weaned off of milk and are eating solid foods all the time.

Upsetting the digestive tract of a calf is seriously bad news and can have fatal implications, so don’t be in a rush to give them fruit.

✅ Mango

Yes, but I say that with reservations. The only time that calves should get mangoes is once they are weaned off of milk and well into a life of eating solid food. I don’t think you should them give them right after they are done with milk because their digestive system still has a long way to go before it is fully developed and stabilized.

Mango is so sweet that it can still be quite a problem for their system, particularly if you give them too much… Sugar-rich fermentable feed like this one can often cause rumen acidosis.

Remember that stomach and rumen ailments that adult cows could weather easily enough are so much worse for a little calf, and it’s hardly out of the question that it might kill them during this delicate phase of development.

✅ Apples

Apples are safe for calves as long as they have weaned and are switching over to solid food. Give them just one small apple as a treat every now and then in order to let their stomach adjust to them as they grow.

✅ Bananas

Calves can have bananas just like adult cows can. But, they should only be given bananas once they have started to wean and are actually eating solid food. Generally, this will be no earlier than 4 months, perhaps three.

You can make a great case for waiting longer to give calves bananas in the first place because they are so sugary.

Whatever the case, only give them a very small portion and then observed to see how they do. Any scours (diarrhea) is a sign that you should discontinue immediately, as is any sign of bloating.

If this happens, don’t worry, just let your cows grow up a little bit and then they can try bananas again in the future. They don’t have to have them as part of their diet.

✅Pineapple

Yes, but very cautiously. Pineapple is incredibly sweet and even when calves are switched over to solid food their digestive systems still have a long way to go in terms of development, and they can be easily upset.

I recommend you give them only a very small quantity of pineapple to try and even then, keep a close eye on them to make sure they handle it okay. No harm in waiting for them to mature quite a bit before they get to try pineapple and other super-sweet fruits for the first time.

✅ Peaches

Yes, peaches are safe for baby cows but serve them cautiously. For starters, they should be completely weaned and well into eating solid food before you ever let them try a peach. Their stomachs are just too easily upset by new foods and sweet food in particular to risk it.

Give them a very small quantity, and then observe to make sure they don’t start acting weird or suffering from bad bowel movements or diarrhea.

If they seem like they are feeling bad, stop giving them peaches straight away.

✅ Strawberries

Yes, calves can have strawberries also. But, you should wait until they’ve actually started to eat solid food on a fairly regular basis. It usually occurs around the time of weaning, between 3 and 4 months and 8 or 9 months depending on your protocols.

There’s nothing in strawberries that is overtly harmful to your calves, but you definitely don’t want them to get too many especially when they are very young. A calf’s digestive tract is poorly developed compared to an adult cow, and any sort of novel food can upset it.

Accordingly, give your calves only small amounts at first, and then observe them to see how they do.

✅ Blueberries

Yes, they are. Your calves can have blueberries once they’re old enough to start eating solid food most or all of the time.

But I want you to keep in mind that baby cows are still developing at this early age, and very vulnerable to having their stomachs upset. Diarrhea is also very bad news for a calf, and should be avoided at all costs.

Keep the quantities very small, and always monitor them for signs of trouble. If you notice or just suspect problems, discontinue feeding the blueberries at once and wait till they grow up a little more.

✅ Lemons

I would give this one a cautious “yes” because, on the other hand, there is evidence that cattle can and will sometimes try a lemon with no adverse effects. On the other, there is no data on calves eating it, so we can only infer that it might be safe in limited quantities… In other words, it”s not toxic for them, but could cause some digestive upset.

And I know what you’re thinking: lemons are acidic – but acidity doesn’t affect a cow the way it does us. I’d be more concerned about the sugar content and that it can be a choking hazard if the pieces are large enough.

Besides, it’s more likely the baby cow will hate the sour taste and won’t try it again!

Grains

✅ Rice

Yes, but only when they are finished weaning and eating solid foods at all times. Give them only a tiny bit and observe them closely for any discomfort or digestive upset.

Be very conservative with increasing the amount they get during this delicate phase of life. Diarrhea and acidosis caused by carbohydrate-rich grain overload can get a calf into trouble pretty quickly.

✅ Bread

Calves can have small amounts bread when they start eating solid food and weaning away from milk. The reason? If you pad attention, you’ll know it’s grain overload. The other issue is that many bakery products also have a lot of sodium.

Depending on your plans for your cattle and when you start weaning them, this might be as young as 3 months or so, or it might be as late as 8 or 9 months of age.

In any case, remember that the digestive system of calves is significantly more sensitive than those of adults and you should only give them a little bit of bread as a treat initially to see how they handle it.

Be especially alert for any signs of bloat. If your they don’t seem to be responding well, don’t give them any more bread, and consult with your vet or a bovine nutritionist for guidance on when to start incorporating it into their diet.

Avoid These At All Costs

❌ Alliums

This may surprise you but onions are actually very toxic to young cows. And not just onions, but all Allium species, including garlic. If they eat a high enough amount, odds are they will get hemolytic anemia, which will cause oxidative stress to their red blood cells. Merck manual even says that cows are more susceptible than other livestock such as sheep and goats.

Sure, there is some evidence dating back in the 50s that calves are actually more resistant to alliums than adult cows, but don’t let this fool you: onions and garlic are very toxic to cattle of all ages.

❌ Chocolate

Absolutely not! Regrettably, calves and adult cows are vulnerable to the effects of theobromine (a type of methylxanthine). While toxicosis occurs at pretty high amounts in calves (they’d need to eat several bars over the course of several weeks), theobromine, the problematic substance in chocolate, can cause issues at much lower doses.

This is a particular threat when you’re dealing with dark chocolate or baking chocolate, or milk chocolate that happens to have a high concentration of the stuff, not to mention a bunch of sugar that’s really bad for them.

Chocolate is just a no-go for them, it’s that simple. You should wait until your little ones are fully mature, physically, before you give them any. Better yet, skip it altogether.

❌ Honey

No. Honey is simply too sugary for calves. Even when they have switched from milk to solid food, their digestive system and the rumen in particular are going to be very delicate. the other issue with honey is that it can carry the spores of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which makes it a real risk of botulism for calves and other livestock.

And don’t discount something seemingly innocuous like diarrhea when talking about calves. They’re far more vulnerable to dehydration and losing electrolytes compared to adult cows, so it’s possible that hone in a sufficient quantity can cause them life-threatening problems…